Halo: The End of the Beginning
by scarlett2112
Summary: Sometimes from the depths of our despair, beauty can be found in the most unexpected of places.
1. Chapter 1

The whooshing sound of his ventilator and the pulsating blip of his oximeter threaten to lull me to sleep from exhaustion. I'm sitting here beside him stroking his hand. I whisper 'I love you's and occasionally I reach up to finger a few wisps of his hair from his forehead.

As my eyes start to close, his heart monitor alarms, stunning me back to alertness. One of the nurses rushes in to check each of one his machines. As it turns out, it was only an alert to signal that one of the leads from his heart monitor came off. "Nothing to worry about," the nurse tells me. She squeezes my shoulder and glances at me with sympathy and complete understanding in her eyes before leaving me alone with him again.

My eyes begin to droop once more and soon I'm being transported back to a much, much happier time.

 _I'm squeezing his hand with all my might, pushing as hard as I can. "That's it Elena, the doctor can already see the head," he says encouragingly, his voice giddy with excitement. He kisses my forehead._

 _"You can do this sweetheart. In just a few moments, we'll meet our baby." I can feel the contraction begin to peak once more and I push as if my life depends on it. His eyes literally beam when a lusty cry makes its presence known._

 _"It's a boy, Elena. We have a son!"_

I'm startled awake as my brother encircles me with his strong yet warm arms. Tears fall unfettered down my cheeks, finally letting them fall in the comfort of my brother's arms.

"Take a break Elena, you need some rest. You're barely running on fumes as is. I promise I'll stay here with him. And sweetheart, Jack needs to see his mommy. Go home, take a shower and even a sleeping pill if you have to. I know that you don't want to leave him but you're going to collapse if you don't get some real sleep."

* * *

As soon as I walk into my house, I throw my purse down. Almost immediately, Caroline envelopes me in a hug. Unable to hold my tears in, I can hardly get the words out. Regaining my composure, I tell her how he's doing. Reluctantly she goes home. She's truly been a godsend, staying with Jack as much as I need her to so I can be with his daddy. Gathering my baby son in my arms, I hold on for dear life, pressing kisses to his chubby cheeks.

"Come baby, let's take a nap," I say aloud, holding him flush against my chest as I ascend the staircase. Sighing heavily, I lay him down in bed. After putting on some more comfortable clothing, I drop onto the bed beside him. Although I know that he should be in his crib, I need to hold him, to have something, someone tangible and a part of him in my arms. Mere moments after my head hits the pillow, my eyes drift closed.

My dreams take me back to that fateful moment when our lives were irreparably torn apart.

 _I'm standing in the nursery getting Jack ready for the day. I change his diaper and blow belly kisses to his soft flesh when he steps into the room, clad in his running clothes. Softly he places a kiss to my forehead before taking Jack in his arms. He snuggles our boy to his chest and tells our little man how much he loves us. It's a perfectly normal day just like any other. Every morning he runs, comes home to shower and then he leaves for work. It's a day just like any other day. The sun is shining, there isn't a cloud in the sky and yet a mere hour later, the world as I know it ceases to exist._

 _When I answer the doorbell, our dear friend Liz, who's my best friend's mother but also the chief of police, is standing there, eyes reddened and glassy._

 _"Elena, there's been an accident. We need to get you to the hospital right away."_

 _Suddenly Caroline appears beside her looking at me with sad, mournful eyes._

 _"I'll stay with Jack, Elena, you go with mom."_

 _Seized by fear, I mechanically grab my bag and we leave. On the way to the hospital Liz tells me that he was the victim of a hit and run driver. His body was thrown nearly thirty feet, disastrously landing on his head. He has a life threatening brain injury. They've already taken him to surgery by the time we arrive at the hospital._

 _Minutes pass like hours before the neurosurgeon finally makes an appearance._

 _"I'm so sorry, Elena," Doctor Fell says as she steers me into, what I assume is, her office._

" _His injuries are catastrophic. The force of impact was so severe that not one area of his brain was spared. He's alive, in ICU, for now. You will have to make a decision, Elena. I don't foresee any possibility of recovery. I know this is soon, and we will keep monitoring him for a couple of days, but you may want to consider organ donation."_

 _I'm numb as I slump back in the chair I don't even remember sitting down in._

 _"Can I see him before I make any decisions?"_

 _Understanding eyes meet mine,_ _"Yes, of course, come with me."_

* * *

Here I am, once again standing at his bedside. We're surrounded by our families. The time has come to say goodbye. He's officially been declared brain dead. There is no hope to be had anymore. I hand Jack to Jeremy before kissing his forehead, his cheeks, the corner of his mouth. An unending flood of tears mar my features. I tell him I'll love him forever and that it's okay for him to leave. Somehow, someway, Jack and I will survive. Hospital staff are standing outside of his door waiting to take him to a surgery suite to harvest his organs.

Feeling Meredith's hands on my shoulder, she squeezes gently. Reaching up, I lay one of mine on top of hers. Tears are falling unbidden down my cheeks and onto my neck. The pain is deep, visceral and cuts me to my very core.

"Elena, you can accompany us to the door of the operating room if you'd like. You can hold his hand for a few more minutes."

"Thank you," I whisper, reaching up to wipe my eyes. When I give her a nod, several staff members walk in, unplug his bed and his ventilator from the wall and start to push him out of the room. Clutching his hand in mine, I follow along refusing to let go for even a moment, knowing this will be the last time I hold it while his heart still beats inside of his chest. Our family follows the solemn path behind us.

When we reach the door, I pull him into my arms one last time, mournful cries leaving my lips as I tell him how much I love him. When I feel my brothers hands on my shoulders, I finally let go of his hand and bury my face in Jeremy's chest, turning away only when he disappears behind the double doors.

* * *

Eighteen months later:

Lifesource has contacted me. Apparently the man who received my husband's heart wants to meet and thank me. They told me the man had been days away from death when a heart, _his heart_ , became available for transplant. My husband's gift saved his life and many others. I'm filled both with anxiety and excitement to meet this man. I look at Jack to calm my nerves. My boy has grown so much in the past year. They say the eyes are the windows of the soul. Every time I look at my – _our_ \- son, I see _him._ I'm so grateful for that.

The ring of the doorbell ends my thoughts. Sucking in a fortifying breath, I slowly place my tremoring hands on the doorknob. After staring at it for several seconds, I finally twist the knob, opening the door.

And there he stands. A smile spreads across both of our faces. For the first time in over a year I feel an instant reaction to a man, and it's not only because I know exactly why he's walking and breathing … and here. I reach out to shake his hand. He grabs it and looks into my eyes. With my conceding nod, he places my palm to his chest. I feel _his_ heart thrumming a strong cadence against this man's ribcage.

"His heart still beats inside of me. I can never begin to thank you enough, Mrs. Donovan. My name is Damon … Damon Salvatore."

* * *

*LifeSource offers hope and healing through excellence in organ and tissue donation. "Our vision is that everyone shares the gift of life."

 _This is about 500 words longer than the original Halo and more accurate as far as the organ procurement process._

 _Thank you Eva so much for helping me with it this time around. Love you more than I can tell you._

 _I really hope you all like this. I will post the updated version of Damon's story which is a prequel to this as the second chapter and then we'll post the present day version of Damon and Elena as a stand alone story. I'm not through writing it yet but the title is 'Halo: Through the Mist'._

 _Please have a look at my other stories. 'Dig', 'Nothing Left to Fear' and 'Turn the Page' are all in progress._

 _Please remember to click the *REVIEW* button. I would appreciate it so much if you let me know your thoughts. Thank you all for your support._

 _I also just updated 'Angels Fall'. I would love to hear your thoughts on it as well._

 _Hope you all have a safe and wonderful day. We'll see you soon for part 2 of this._


	2. The Circle of Life

_**This chapter is a prequel. It happens before the events of chapter one. It's Damon's story about why he needed a heart transplant to survive in the first place. I hope you like it.**_

 ** _I finally made a facebook page for my stories. If you're interested, the address is facebook /scarlett2112fanfiction_**

* * *

I feel a hand squeeze my shoulder. "Damon, honey you need to wake up. It's time to go to your doctor's appointment," mom states softly.

I hate that I have to get up to go to another appointment. My life revolves around hospitals, doctors and sleep. I'm fatigued all the time. I'm always attached to oxygen now because of the poor contractility of my heart. I hate feeling like an invalid but that's what I am. I recently had a ventricular assist device implanted. It helps my heart to pump blood through my body. While it buys me time, it pretty much keeps me a prisoner in my home. It has a battery backup, but because it needs an electrical source to keep it functioning, my Dad went so far as to buy a generator should a storm or something else knock out our power.

My only chance of survival is a heart transplant. We have a pager with us at all times for when and if one is found in time. I want to live, but how can I wish, how can anyone for that matter, wish death on someone else so that I might live?. That man or woman probably has a family too who love them as much as my parents and brother love me.

"Mrs. Salvatore, Damon, we've requested that you be placed on the top of the transplant list. Your heart is failing rapidly. The VAD is buying us time but it's not a panacea. Eventually your heart will give out," Dr. Thompson states truthfully, regret evident in his eyes. He stands to show us to the door, "we'll see you next week, okay."

I'm worn out by the time we get home. Since I'm no longer able to climb the stairs to my bedroom, dad had his study converted into a bedroom for me, hospital bed and all. That way I can raise the head of the bed because I have trouble breathing when I lie flat. I have an oxygen concentrator in my room as well as one in our family room. I tell my mom I'm going to nap before slowly making my way to my room.

* * *

Not long after I've closed my eyes my dreams transport me back to a time when all of this wasn't even a glint in my eye.

 _I'm the guy who all the girls ogle. My messy black hair and sapphire-colored eyes make all the heads turn. A senior in high school, I'm one of our star athletes, having lettered in baseball, basketball and track. This year our basketball team put together a real force to be reckoned with. We're in the semi-finals for the state basketball championship. I'm the shooting guard for my team. Although I'm not that tall, just under six feet, I practiced and practiced even more until I became quite proficient making the shots, thus earning my place on the team. My big brother Stefan would always play with me, helping me to perfect my shots until he had to leave for college. But even then, he'd always play with me when he found time to come home for a weekend._

 _It was a day of the big semi final game. The winning team would play in the state championship against the Norfolk Raiders. I have the ball, I'm dribbling my way down the court, I leap …_

 _Suddenly I wake up to bright lights, a whooshing noise and the blipping sound of some other machine. I can't move my hands. My mom tells me they had to restrain them so I wouldn't pull my breathing tube out. I'm petrified, I don't know what's happened to me. Why am I in the hospital? Why do I need a breathing tube?_

 _What scares me the most is the frightened look in my parents' eyes. They each take one of my hands, I see tears flooding my mom's eyes. Even my dad is teary eyed. My heart starts thundering inside my chest, I'm terrified. A nurse rushes in and tells me I need to calm down. The man I assume is the doctor comes and introduces himself._

 _"Damon, I'm Dr. Thompson, your cardiologist. You had a massive heart attack on the basketball court. You were clinically dead for nearly twenty minutes. By some stroke of luck, an ambulance happened to be at the game in case of player injury. CPR and a defibrillator saved your life Damon."_

 _He goes on to tell me that my heart muscle is severely damaged and that odds are fairly high that I'll need a heart transplant at some point. They think my "death" was caused by an abnormal yet often 'fatal' arrhythmia._

I wake up, again realizing that after that day suddenly my world was turned upside down. I went from being a healthy, happy go lucky kid to being a very sick kid. Simply put, I didn't have the energy or stamina to do the things that I've always loved to do anymore. Because I couldn't participate actively anymore, I had to give up my spot on the team. Unable to party because of the medication I take could prove to be lethal when mixed with alcohol, many of the guys stopped hanging around. And besides, what fun is a party if you have to drink water or caffeine free soda?

Soon my "friends" had no use for the 'guy that couldn't' and stopped coming to see me. Depression set in and quickly I was prescribed anti depressants in addition to my heart medication. Only my best buddy Ric and my friends Brady and Nick never gave up on me. They would always make time and include me in their plans. My brother really stepped up too. After he witnessed my _death_ on the basketball court, he'd come home for weekends at least twice a month and wouldn't allow me to wallow in self pity.

* * *

The next few years were relatively stable. As long as I paced myself and took my medication, I got along relatively well. I moved out of my parent's home but that was only for a couple of years, though. Always scared that something would happen, my parents just worried too much. Moving back was the least I could do. I swear they've aged twenty years since I got sick. They just felt better knowing I was nearby so they could check on me easily. I even started taking some college courses.

The guys and I once went on a road trip, oxygen tanks in tow to the little town of Mystic Falls, VA. My father is a Navy man, stationed in Norfolk but our home was in Virginia Beach. Somehow he was able to work things out with his superiors so we would be permanently stationed there since my doctors were in the area.

It was really a wonderful weekend. We spent time at Mystic Falls. Although I couldn't traverse the countryside, I could admire the serene beauty of the place. We spent Saturday evening at the grill. For obvious reasons, alcohol is off limits but I visited for quite awhile with the bartender. His name was Matt. The two of us talked for a long time. He was a pretty young guy if memory serves. I remember him telling me that he was working his way through college and was engaged to marry his childhood sweetheart. Nice guy, he even offered me a beer on the house. Once I explained to him about my heart condition and that I can't mix alcohol with the pills, he offered me an endless glass of Seven Up instead.

We continued to chat most of the evening. Suddenly I felt someone brush my shoulder. It was weird because I remember feeling a bit of shiver. I spun my stool to the side and it was then that I met her eyes. It was something, a feeling, I don't know. To this day, I can't describe or even explain the sensation that I felt. She gave me a smile and apologized for bumping into me. Turning her attention to Matt, she dropped a key ring into his hand. When he leaned over the bar to plant a kiss on her lips, she flashed him the most beautiful smile I've ever seen before she turned on her heels and exited the grill.

"That's your girl?" I recall asking him.

His smile was as wide as hers when he nodded yes, the look of pride in his eyes was unmistakable. I remember that I felt a little bit of envy knowing that I may not live long enough to find such a love.

* * *

Everything crashed back to earth just a few weeks ago. I was outside planting a few flowers in my Mom's garden. It wasn't stressful for me at all. Suddenly it felt like a Mac truck was sitting on my chest. I screamed for my Dad before I collapsed.

So I am sitting here in the hospital attached to tubes and wires once again. Soon I drift off to sleep to try to escape this life for just a little while. I'm dreaming my life is that of a healthy young man.

 _I jump, I score. 'three point shot by Salvatore saves the game for the Norfolk Cougars!'_

Suddenly I feel hands on my shoulders. "Damon wake up, they found you a heart. The nurses here are going to take you to surgery. I'll meet you there in a little bit."

Tears pour from my eyes. I hug my Mom and Dad. I tell them I love them so much and thank them for everything they've done for me just in case I don't make it.

Soon I find myself on the operating table, scared that I'll never see daylight again. Almost as soon as the mask is lowered and placed over my mouth, my eyes close …

* * *

It's been eighteen months since I received the gift of life. Aside from having to take my anti-rejection drugs, I'm free to live my life as I please. What I really want is to meet the family of the man who gave this precious gift of life to me. I can only imagine their grief at losing a loved one. I want them to know, his heart is still beating strong.

Knowing no other avenue, I reached out to Lifesource. They are contacted when someone meets criteria to become an organ donor. They set everything in motion to procure the organs and get them to the intended recipients. After telling them my story and how much I wanted to be able to thank this family, they were completely understanding of my plight. The woman I talked to informed me that before anything can proceed, she or someone will have to contact the man's family to see if they're agreeable to meeting me. Before leaving, I thanked her profusely. The woman walked outside with me and gave me her reassurance that she would let me know the family's decision no matter what it might be.

Sometimes I try to imagine who the man was whose chest held this heart. What kind of a man was he? What were his goals and dreams that were so cruelly ripped away from him and his family?

After waiting for almost six months, I'm being told that his wife has consented to meeting me. She lives in Mystic Falls. That same tiny little hamlet that the guys and I went to on our road trip a couple of years ago.

Swallowing thickly, I park the car. With my nerves alight, my hands are literally shaking. Taking a few deep breaths to calm my nerves, I finally summon the strength to get out of my car. Somehow I force one foot in front of another till I'm standing at her door. My belly is a choatic mess, the butteries fluttering inside.

Swallowing thickly, I raise my hand and push the doorbell and then I wait. And then it happens, the door opens and she's standing there.

I feel something, a connection of some sort, as soon as my eyes meet hers. Unwitting smiles spread across both our faces. When she reaches out to shake my hand, I cup it between both of mine. Instinctively knowing what I want, she gives me a conceding nod. Smiling, I place her palm against my chest where my - _his_ \- heart is thrumming wildly against my rib cage. " _His_ heart still beats inside of me. I can never begin to thank you enough Mrs. Donovan. My name is Damon … Damon Salvatore."

"Won't you come in Damon. I'd like you to meet _'his'_ and my son, Jack."

* * *

 _*Arrhythmia: A condition in which the heart beats with an irregular or abnormal rhythm._

* _Ventricular Assist Device or VAD: A mechanical pump that's used to support heart function and blood flow in people who have weakened hearts. The device takes blood from the lower chamber of the heart and helps pump it to the body and vital organs, just as a healthy heart would._

* * *

 _Thank you so much Eva for helping me with a revamp of this story. You mean the world to me and I love you lots._

 _The original Halo was my first foray into fan fiction. I can't thank all of you enough for taking the time to read and review this. And all of my other stories too. You are all wonderful people._

 _Now that this is complete, watch for the sequel featuring present day Damon and Elena. That story is called, 'Halo: Through the Mist'. You'll get to see where they are now. I'm still working on it though._

 _Chapter title: 'The Circle of Life' by Elton John from 'The Lion King'._

 _My dear friend, Florencia7 has a fabulous story, 'Let There Be Light'. No one writes DE like she does. She has many beautiful DE stories. 'Perchance to Dream' is a masterpiece._

 _There is another story that I like called 'Shattered Pieces' by MissMonk. It's good but doesn't have very many reviews._

 _'Dig' and 'Angels Fall' are nearly complete. 'Turn the Page' and 'Nothing Left to Fear' both have quite a bit of story left to tell. I would love to hear your thoughts on those as well._

 _Please remember to click that *review* button for me one last time for this story._

 _Be safe and have a fabulous day._


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